NEW FUNDING TO AID GREENE COUNTY FARMING PRACTICES Luke Goodling, Sports Editor
The following feature originally appeared in the Oct. 11, 2018 issue of The Yellow Jacket, Waynesburg University’s award winning, student-run newspaper. GreeneScene Community Magazine is pleased to share this and future stories from The Yellow Jacket with our readers, as we give these young journalists an opportunity to broaden their audience and share the good news of our region and campus with you. You can also follow The Yellow Jacket online at https://issuu.com/wuyellowjacket.
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arming and agriculture throughout Greene County recently received a significant boost in funding with the approval of the GRACE Program. Last month, the Greene County’s Reinvestment in Agriculture: Cost-share Enhancement Program was approved by the Greene County Conservation District’s board of directors for $163,000 of funding for local agriculture. The funding is available primarily for water and soil conservation, but can also be applied in additional areas. Benjamin Schweizer, conservation technician, said the funding will be through cost share assistance for a variety of needs. “The GRACE Program is a cost share program for farmers where we are able to offer technical assistance and cost share assistance to improve farmers operations in ways which promote soil and water conservation,” said Schweizer. “Some of the practices that we can help with are application of lime and fertilizer, interior livestock fencing, watering systems and we also just started offering forestry practices.”
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Schweizer said funding through the GRACE Program is available for anyone currently farming and not restricted to only small or large farming operations. “It can be for anyone who is actively farming the land,” Schweizer said. “Certain practices such as fencing and watering systems, they do need to have livestock on their farms. But, for farmers with just crops – such as hay fields or corn fields – they can also apply for the lime or fertilizer.” Recently, Schweizer said, the GRACE Program branched into forestry as well. For individuals with forests on their property, Schweizer said funding is available for the specific areas they want to improve. For farmers in the county who are interested in applying for the GRACE funding, the application process is simple, Schweizer said, only requiring people to stop by the Borough Offices or call to get started. Once a farm has expressed interest, the property will be inspected. “We can create a farm file for them and then kind of take it from there and schedule times to come out and check out their operation, do their
soil sample tests,” Schweizer said. With the prominence of agriculture and farming in the county, Schweizer said the GRACE program is a way of reinvesting in the land and those who work it. “Farming is a big thing here, there is a lot of people with farms in Greene County,” Schweizer said. “We see this as an important way to give back their practice and their hard work. Then also to promote soil and water conservation, because farmers do impact all of Greene County’s land.” With monies now available for agricultural funding, Schweizer said the GRACE Program will most likely bolster the farming community in the county. “I think it will definitely motivate some farmers who were maybe thinking about slowing down their operations,” Schweizer said. “I think this will be something to help them boost their motivation to farm and keep their land as cropland or as pasture. That’s something we like to see, because for a lot of these people their true passion is farming and they love doing it.”
THE SCENE OF THE (MOCK) CRIME By Danielle Nyland
eenagers walk through the door at West Sides in Waynesburg, laughing and joking, ready for a couple hours of fun with their friends. Nasema Wilson makes sure the students are signed in at the door. Nasema used to participate in the youth gatherings while in high school; she now volunteers to help with Communities That Care events. The students grab a snack and some gather around the tables, while others cluster on a stage full of comfy chairs, talking about an upcoming dance. But all of them are anticipating the upcoming activity. Communities That Care is a grant-funded coalition that began in 2000, under the County’s Human Services branch. It was revitalized in 2015 to what it is now – a community to reduce the risks and increase the protection of youth in Greene County. The group consists of a mobilizer from the County and a board of representatives from different sectors of the community, including law enforcement, drug and alcohol prevention, mental health professionals, business owners, parents, youth and more. “We work to provide the youth with positive alternative activities,” says Lori Lhota, the current mobilizer for CTC. “The monthly youth gatherings are a free, healthy, safe and fun alternative to the other options out there.” “We try to do different activities every month, but the mock crime scene is one that we bring back every year. The students love it,” Lori adds. “This is our fourth year for it. In the past, we combined it with a tour of the University lab and completed a workshop there.” The mock crime scene got its start through University Forensic Science professor Mike Cipoletti, who helped get his whole team involved. Each year, Lori meets with the President of the Forensic Science Club to coordinate the event. The University students put together a scenario for the students to work though and volunteer their services during the event, overseeing the scene and acting as
HOLIDAY #1 - Mid November 2018
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witnesses. “I’m really glad that Lori reached out to us again to lead this event,” says WU senior Alisha Lesko, the Forensic Science Club President. “I did it as a freshman and it was really great. It’s a really fun outreach program to be involved in.” “We love working with the University on our projects,” Lori says. “They provide positive role models for our youth. They’re safe people they can talk to and bond with. They can help them set clear goals for their futures.” As the event starts, the students gather around the TV, where Alisha leads a presentation about the dangers of drug use. After the presentation, she provides a backstory for the mock crime scene and the group of around fifteen youth are broken into three smaller
groups, each with their crime scene investigation gear and crime scene to investigate. The students get straight to work, interviewing witnesses and checking their scenes for evidence. There’s lots of laughter and giggles, but the teens throw themselves into the work, coming together to solve the mystery of their crime scene. For more information about Communities That Care, please contact their new mobilizer, Donna Calvert at dcalvert@co.greene. pa.us.
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